Final Presentation Effects of Blogging

 

The internet, but more specifically blogging is a perfect example of practicing first amendment rights. Two of the guarantees of the first amendment are that of freedom of speech and press. I believe blogging covers both. Blogging is a form of communicating and sharing that communication to anyone who chooses to click on a website. The internet was obviously not around at the time of the writing of the Bill of Rights, so the founding fathers never had blogs and social media in mind while declaring the rights of the citizens. Blogging, I believe, advances the ability of Americans to use their freedom of speech and press. Allowing words to be accessed by anyone at any time is exactly what this right protects. Blogging also allows information, whether factual or opinion,  to be spread in a matter of seconds to the billions of people in the world with internet access.

I believe Martin Luther King Jr. would have used blogging to advance his work in the Civil Rights movement. I believe the use of blogging would have greatly helped his cause. My belief is based on my knowledge of the Civil Rights movement from a class I took in highschool and new information learned in this course. I am aware of MLK Jr. 's use of the media to show injustices African Americans faced on the daily and the violence used against their peaceful protests. I am sure public access to testimony from primary sources of these protests would be viewed by millions and influence these people to MLK’s efforts. Martin Luther King Jr. took advantage of the growing popularity of the news media. In this day and age that would parallel things like blogging and social media. 

I fully believe the internet and blogging are currently and can continue to advance social movements. Right now many African Americans are making successful blogs about their experiences during this BLM movement. The internet and blogging allow for personal experiences to be pubically shared at any time to anyone without having to get it picked up by a news station taking the story as their own and twisting it. The internet also gives access to anyone to view these posts at any given time. This makes for a better outreach for the blogger or poster. The ability of this direct contact to readers is exactly how to make social reforms using the first amendment rights.

Keeping a blog has been a cool new experience. Learning to navigate the website has been beneficial. I enjoy writing, so having a place to write, especially when given creative freedom to talk about things I am passionate about, has been one of my favorite parts of this class. To keep up with the blogging, I recommend trying to find something you enjoy in the limits of the appropriateness relating to the topic. It can be more difficult to keep up with the blogging if you do not look for enjoyment in the writing. This class allows for a lot of creativity, as well as group work and discussion. Taking advantage of this will allow for the growth of a lot of life skills. This class has been very enjoyable and beneficial in many aspects.